The First Notes I Heard
by inupluskaglover
Summary: Ikuto has come back to Japan with the orchestra he's a part of for a performance, inviting Amu and the rest of the former Guardians to watch. But what happens when Ikuto plays a piece that brings back memories that Amu doesn't want brought up? Post-Party!


I don't own Shugo Chara! , Shugo Chara! Doki! , or Shugo Chara! Party! . I don't own any of the characters, either. They all belong to Peach-Pit. I only own this story.

**Author's note: This is my first time writing a one-shot! It's also my first time writing a Shugo Chara FanFiction! I hope that, in both cases, you all like it!**

The First Notes I Heard

It was early on a Friday morning and my alarm had just woken me up. Half-asleep I stumbled over to the chair where my school uniform lay. My Charas were still sleeping snugly in their eggs as I got dressed into my Seiyo Middle uniform. I looked at the eggs in envy; they got to sleep in a little longer.

I added my accessories: a green hair pin, green leg warmers, and a green band around my left arm. I know, I know, not very original, but it's what I'm used to, so I continued using the same accessories, just changing the color to fit the uniform. And I thought it looked good, all the extra green matched the green plaid of my school uniform's skirt and the green tie. I looked at myself in the mirror and nodded in approval.

Then my eyes drifted toward the basket of eggs with what was, without a doubt, a mildly evil glint.

I tapped on Ran's egg first.

"Time to get up, guys!" I called.

Ran opened her egg first. Her eyes weren't fully open and she looked really sleepy.

"But Amu-cha~n…" she whined.

"No buts, we need to hurry; we have only five minutes left and you guys were called by Kiseki to a Guardian Chara meeting!" I exclaimed.

"Oh!" Ran immediately popped out of her egg, floating over to my shoulder. "Go for it; go for it, Amu-chan! You can do it; you can do it, Amu-chan!"

"Kiseki!" Miki's egg had opened to reveal the, now wide awake, little, blue artist.

"Yeah, you guys have to go to a Chara meeting. Kiseki sent me a note," It wasn't all lies. No doubt, Kiseki had already planned to corner all the Charas to have another one of his "Here's our next plan to find the Embryo!" meetings.

Miki got a dreamy look in her eyes. Probably thinking about Kiseki and Daichi and Rhythm and who knows what other male Charas. _Yoru,_ the back of my mind added, but I didn't acknowledge that thought. It was a close subject to another I didn't care to bring up.

"Su, Dia, did you hear what I said? Or will I have to pull of the top of your eggshells like I did to Ran that one time?" I asked, staring intently at the green and yellow-orange eggs.

Dia's egg wiggled and then popped, signaling that her egg had cracked, and a moment later, the sparkling, singer chara rose up from her egg, taking her place by my right shoulder.

So Su was the one that would fall victim to my devious plot.

"Su, come on, I bet I'll be late to school and it'll be all your fault," I said rocking the green egg back and forth with my index finger.

But she was still as a rock. That made me a tad worried that something was wrong with Su, but I knew that either she hadn't woken up at all yet, or she was just ignoring me for some extra snooze time. But her extra snooze time had just run out.

I sighed, trying to perform my part well, so it didn't seem that I had planned this all along for the last one to wake up. "I guess you leave me no choice,"

Did I feel a slight quiver under my finger? She didn't seriously think that I was going to do something seriously evil, did she?

I slid my index finger onto one side of the egg and placed my thumb on the side opposite it and pulled. I could feel the resistance; Su was trying to keep the top of her egg pulled down. Well, that wasn't going to work for long. She didn't have very trained muscles, so she would have to give out sooner or later.

I mentally noted I was glad that it wasn't Ran, because it would have taken more of a struggle.

And then, Su's poor little arms gave out and I popped the top of her egg off.

"Come on, let's go. My mom will wonder why I'm not down for breakfast yet,"

I got to school in the nick of time. Almost two seconds after I took my seat, the bell rang.

"Ohayo, Amu-chan," Tadase, who was in my class and sat in the seat next to me on my right hand side, greeted, smiling at me with that irresistibly cute smile of his.

_Ouji-sama… _My heart beat faster and I swore I felt my cheeks heat up. "Ohayo, Tadase-kun!"

"Alright, alright, class time's starting!" Nikaidou said in a loud voice, waving the attendance booklet up and down as he entered, making his way to the desk at the center of the room.

I had already gotten used to the fact that he was always my homeroom teacher. I think it has something to do with Su; she seemed attached to him, like a worrying mother, and he liked her as well. Su had that effect; she was just so sweet, caring, and innocent. But I wondered how he always managed to get the position as my homeroom teacher…

"So today, we'll be learning about…" Nikaidou-sensei started.

That was about when my attention was turned to my thoughts, which drifted until they decided on absently wondering where a certain cat-boy was.

School passed by without much excitement. After school, Tadase, being his usual princely, chivalrous character, walked me home.

"I'm home!" I called as I took off my shoes.

"Welcome back, Amu-chan! You have some mail. I put it on the kitchen table," My mother greeted.

"Onee-chan has mail, Onee-chan has mail!" Ami sang into her little plastic microphone.

I slid the envelope on the table off and went up to my room with it in hand.

It was addressed to me. It didn't say "Hinamori Family". It said my name, plain and simple, right on the front.

I opened the envelope carefully. When I looked inside, there was a white slip of paper.

It was a letter. From Ikuto.

I read it. This is what it said:

_Dear Amu,_

_The orchestra I'm a part of is having a concert in Japan. I want you to come and listen, along with the rest of the former Guardians, if you want the rest of them to come. Even the Kiddy King's invited. Yoru is happy he gets to see the rest of the Charas, too. I enclosed tickets to the concert in the envelope. There should be enough for everybody. Utau is coming as well, I believe. I'm looking forward to seeing you, Amu. Don't miss it._

_Sincerely,_

_Ikuto_

I shook the envelope, and as promised, six tickets fluttered to the floor.

I barely noticed it when I slid off of my bed and onto my knees, showing weakness. My heart throbbed in my chest with an unfamiliar emotion and my tears started to well up. The tears rolled by and soon I broke into a wet smile.

My stray black cat was coming home.

The week went by too slowly for me. I told the rest of the former Guardians about the letter and about the concert and passed out the tickets. School was just something to keep me distracted during the day and teach things I might need in the future. And the most terrible part was trying to fall asleep at night. I was so happy that Ikuto was coming back, for whatever short time it may be, that it was near impossible to drift off into something remotely close to slumber.

I had already asked my parents if I could go to the Classical Music Concert where "Ikuto-kun", as my mother called him, was playing. My mom immediately agreed, saying that Ikuto-kun was a good young man and that I should go support him. My dad basically broke down and kept repeating the questions "What? Amu-chan has a _boyfriend_?"

It was finally the Thursday night before the concert, and I couldn't even begin to fall asleep. I just lay in my bed wide awake, worrying about what I would wear and how I would meet up with the other Guardians and if Ikuto would pick a fight with Tadase. Worrying took up a bunch of my thoughts and only a small portion was left that tried to concentrate on sleeping.

And I kept on worrying until I heard a noise on my balcony.

_Ikuto…?_

I pulled back the curtain obscuring my balcony from my eyes, only to find a pair of sapphire blue eyes staring right back.

I jumped out of surprise. Right after that, my cheeks flared. His face was just so close. The only thing separating us was the glass door.

His knuckles tapped on the glass again, his eyes still locked on mine, his infamous smirk on his lips.

My hand subconsciously crept toward the lock, which was only half locked anyways, to unlock it all the way. Then, Ikuto took hold of the door and slid it open, allowing himself entrance into my room. I was left standing speechless and frozen to the ground at the balcony door, a cold gust of wind blowing in from the open space between my room and my balcony.

The cold must have unglued me, because soon, I had closed the glass door and was stalking towards my bed, where the blue-haired boy was currently reclining.

"What are you _doing_ here?" I asked, allowing disbelief and slight unwelcome and sharpness slip into my tone of voice.

"Is it wrong for a man to rest after flying all the way from Europe?" he countered my question with another, amusement obvious in his eyes.

"No, but why are you resting _here_?" I replied.

"The hotel rooms aren't as comfortable and besides, I wanted to see you," he answered, the last part nearly a whisper.

I looked at his eyes and, for once, there wasn't a single hint of deceit or amusement. He wasn't joking about what he said.

He opened his mouth to speak, but when he spoke, his voice sounded like Ran's.

"Amu-chan, Amu-chan! You have to get up!"

My eyes opened and I felt a pang in my heart. It had all been a dream.

"Amu-chan, you're already close to being late! It's a school day, remember!" Ran's voice sounded.

I snapped back to reality with a jolt, which made me rise into the air a little above my bed and fall to the floor, where my butt made contact with the hard surface, none too gently.

"Ouch…!" I whispered, rubbing my back. Then I looked at the clock and immediately jumped to my feet, wincing slightly.

I turned to my Charas with a semi-angry expression, and said, "Why didn't anyone wake me up a bit earlier?"

It was Dia who answered my question.

"Well, Amu-chan, you had so much trouble falling asleep last night, so we didn't want to wake you," She explained, looking at me with a half bashful, half guilty expression.

"Also, Amu-chan was smiling slightly and mumbling something about stupid navy-haired neko boys," Miki added, smirking.

My face exploded and after the puff of smoke vanished, I was sure my face was the same color as my hair: pink.

"W-well, enough about that; I have to change and eat breakfast like the devil's at my heels,"

Tadase walked me home after school again. I got home and after greeting my mom and dad I went into my room and put all of my clothes on my bed.

I wanted to look as though I dressed up, still obtaining my chic punk style, but not too dressy. I picked out five possible choices and put the rest of the clothes away.

"Miki, come on out! I need your help!" I called to my artistic would-be self.

In a couple of minutes Miki flew through the door to my room, which I had opened prior so that she could get in, and looked at the outfits on my bed.

I shut the door and looked over at her.

"I need help choosing one of these outfits to wear for the concert," I told her.

She shook her head in disappointment.

"No, no, you've got it all wrong!" she said, starting soft and then getting louder as she said it. "This won't do! I have the outfit you need all in my head. From a girl without fashion sense to a girl with it, Chara Change!"

"Drew," My hair pin turned into a blue spade, "Draw," I started towards my closet in a purposeful stride, "Drawn!" and then all hell broke loose.

My hand dug through my drawers and closet at an inhuman speed and when they found what they were looking for, it was thrown on the bed. Then when everything was found, my eyes gazed with hatred at the other articles of clothing on my bed and stuffed them all away somewhere. Quickly, I stripped myself of my uniform, except for the hair pin, of course, and I was soon in, as Miki had said, the perfect outfit for the occasion.

The Character Change wore off and my green "x" hair pin returned. Miki quickly slid it out of my side ponytail and slid in three red x-shaped pins, each one larger than the one before looking from left to right, with the middle one turned forty-five degrees so that it looked like a plus sign.

"Turn around and look in the mirror," Miki said, commanding and forceful.

I did as I was told and blushed at the sight.

This fit my character very well, and it might have been the closest thing to Lolita I had ever worn, with all the laciness and lining.

This is what the outfit looked like. A top that was a dark, deep red and black, with two triangles of black surrounded by red strips of fabric, all of which was lined with some white, frilly material. There were also two straps of the same red fabric, also lined with the white material, which connected to poufy, black sleeves, lined at the bottom with thin, frilly, black material. The top half of the blouse looked a bit like a brazier. Then, in the center of the main strip of red, which divided the top half from the bottom half, there was a red bow of the same color. On either side of this bow, there was a stripe of the same red fabric, while under the bow and to the side of each stripe was black material. The red stripes and the bottom of the top were lined with that frilly white material. At the very bottom of the blouse was a lacy black pattern of fabric patches with light gray crosses in the middle of each patch. The pants were light pink with strips of red fabric lined with white material on each side. At the bottom, on either side, was a red bow. The cuffs of the pants were ribbons of the red material lined with the same lining as the bottom of the top. The pants ended just above my knees. On my feet were pink boots with maroon laces that reached up a couple inches above my ankles over black fish net socks that stopped mid-calf. A red plaid wristband with a black stripe through the middle with cross charms hanging from the bottom edge and a choker of the same red plaid with a black skull charm in the middle completed the look.

It took me a couple of minutes to recover before I exclaimed, "Miki, you're a genius!"

"Thank you, thank you very much," she said in a calm, cool voice while bowing.

I giggled and then looked at the clock. It was an hour before the scheduled meeting time and three hours before the start of the concert. The meeting place we agreed on was the bus stop and it would take me twenty-five minutes to get there. Dinner would be soon though, and that took thirty minutes...

"Amu-chan, dinner's ready!" mother called up to me.

"Okay, I'll be right down!" I called back.

I looked at Miki and then my brows knitted together.

"Where are Ran, Dia, and Su?" I asked.

"Oh, I think that they've been captured by your little sister..." she said and shuddered after a second of remembering her own experiences.

"Oh, well I think you should try to rescue them while Ami and I are at dinner; it may be their only chance," I said, making it seem like an important mission. The fact of the matter was that if Miki didn't get them out of Ami's room in time, I could just tell her I needed them and release them from her tiny hands.

"Roger!" Miki said, saluting me.

I smiled as I exited my room, going down the stairs to sit at the table with the rest of my family.

After dinner, I returned to my room to find that all four of my Guardian Charas were there. Thank goodness; that saved me the trouble of having to fetch three of them from Ami, who was obsessed with them.

I washed my face, brushed my teeth, and relieved myself in preparation for the evening.

"Are you girls ready to go?" I asked my would-be selves, who had been playing jump rope a second before.

They all nodded their heads and I made my way over to my dresser, where the red plaid chara carrier lay. I theatrically picked it up from the surface of the dresser and strapped it around my waist, just above my hips, shouting, "Then, let's go!"

"Yeah!" all my charas yelled in reply.

They climbed into the carrier where their eggs were already situated, heads popped out so they could see where I was going.

I made it to the bus stop in record time. I was the first one there, but I didn't have to wait long before Rima's black limousine-like car pulled up and the petite girl stepped out.

She had that high-and-mighty I'm-better-than-you look on her face as she exited her car, but it quickly dissolved into a happy smile as she caught sight of me.

I smiled back, happy to see a familiar face. I wasn't scared, but being alone when it's dark out standing next to a bus stop got creepy after awhile.

In no more than five minutes Nagihiko arrived. The mood instantly got competitive and it was impossible to _not_ notice the too friendly glare-stare they had aimed at each other.

I still thought it was amazing how much he looked like his twin sister. But the fact was, that Nadeshiko and he _were_ twins, so they looked like each other. He would have probably fooled me if he put up his hair and wore a dress.

Kukai arrived next, giving me a fond noogie. He was the oldest of the former Guardians. He had an older brother character that was good because sometimes you just needed to get something off your chest, and he was great for telling something to get your mind off of it. Sometimes I wondered if there was something going on between him and Utau, though.

Yaya was the next one to show up. She hug-tackled Kukai right away and then me, whining the whole time about how it was so hard teaching all of the new Guardians and that she wanted all of us to come back to Seiyo Academy. I patted her hair, telling her that we already came back quite often to check up on her and help teach the new Guardians. But, since her would-be self had a baby character, I supposed she couldn't help acting like a younger sibling.

Last to arrive was Tadase. He apologized for being late, even though it was only ten minutes after the time agreed on. He told us that he had been delayed because his mother had asked him to go to the store and pick up some things. We all told him not to worry and that we understood his situation perfectly.

So now, we all sat on the bench, waiting for the bus to arrive. I was the only one ambulatory; I had had enough of sitting. I walked back and forth, humming to myself.

"Amu, why don't you sit down? How is it you have so much energy?" Rima asked, a pouty look on her face.

I shrugged, stopping for a moment. "Dunno. I just can't sit still. Would you rather I walk around or fidget while sitting next to you?"

Rima seemed to contemplate this for a while. "Well, either way, it will become annoying. I suppose I would rather you sit next to me and fidget. At least that way I'll feel a bit closer as a friend to you."

Aw, Rima could be so cute sometimes. She wanted to feel more important to me.

"Sorry, I've got too much energy. Maybe you want to pace with me?" I asked, trying to be friendly.

She looked at me, more pouty. Well, she'd better get more used to not getting everything she wanted.

"Rima, I just do-" I started before I was cut off by the sound of tires on pavement.

All of us were startled when a sleek black limousine pulled up at the curb. A very official-looking man in a black suit and sunglasses opened the door, ushering us in.

"Um, did anyone order a limo to pick us up?" I asked in disbelief, mild sarcasm in my voice.

"Didn't Ikuto tell you I was picking you people up? You're lucky I know where Amu lives and was able to ask her parents where you were, or else you would have had to ride in the bus," A familiar female voice said sharply. "Come in and sit down. We don't have all day."

"Utau!" I exclaimed in surprise. I hadn't expected Utau would even try to find us and never would have thought she'd _ever_ pick up my friends and me in a _limo_.

"Do I have to come out there and drag you in here? If you don't sit down in here _right now_ you'll have to wait another ten minutes for the public bus," Utau said, clearly annoyed.

"Amu-chan, go on in; we'll follow right behind," Tadase urged.

"O-okay," I stuttered, stepping into the dimly lit limousine.

I sat next to Utau, the pop idol evidently ignoring my presence.

"Sorry about the trouble. Ikuto didn't say anything about you picking us up, though," I said, trying to burst the tense bubble that was rapidly swelling in the atmosphere.

"Don't worry about it," the blonde dismissed, looking nonchalant and relaxed.

A smile broke out on Utau's serious face and I could have sworn she giggled.

"What's up?" I asked.

"Oh I'm just remembering your little sister's reaction to my being at your front door. Her eyes were round as saucers and she kept on singing "Utau-chan's at our front door!" and "I'm gonna be just like Utau-chan when I grow up!" into her little microphone," Utau replied, laughing a little.

I blushed. Why did Ami have to be so embarrassing? I mean little sisters were supposed to be cute and happy and look up to their big sisters, and they might be embarrassing from time to time, but Ami was just too embarrassing. I sighed; I couldn't do anything to change Ami for the time being.

_Let her have her fun. It 'll only be a matter of time before the peer pressure gets to her and she'll change her own character because of a misunderstanding._

But wait, wasn't that _my_ situation.

"Sorry about that. My little sis can be a bother sometimes," I said, sinking in farther into the cool, black leather seat.

"Don't apologize. It's good that your sister can express herself so openly," Utau replied.

"Utau-chan has such a big heart," An annoyingly familiar, slightly high-pitched voice said proudly.

Eru and Iru made themselves seen, floating by Utau's right shoulder.

I smiled at the little angel, tilting my head slightly, and said, "Yep, you're right Eru. Utau is very kind, though she tries to hide it."

Utau, who had been watching our little exchange, turned around, blushing.

I turned my head towards Utau, smile still in place.

The rest of the former Guardians entered then, each taking a seat. I couldn't hold back the smile when, just as Nagihiko was about to take a seat on my other side, Rima, quick as a jet, squeezed herself next to me, pushing Nagihiko towards the window.

I was relieved. The bubble of tense atmosphere had popped. I hadn't even noticed when it had, but it was gone now, and that was all that mattered.

The car eased into motion as we all chattered happily in the back of the limo.

The drive seemed to take no time at all, because before I knew it, we had pulled up to the entrance of the concert hall where Ikuto was performing.

Utau stood up in a fluid movement and made her way to the door while we all watched her. If you thought about it, it was like we Guardians were on a field trip and Utau was the chaperone.

The same man that let us in opened the door for Utau. She took a step and turned around towards the rest of us, one foot on the ground outside, the other still in the limousine.

She looked at us with an exasperated look. "Are you coming or not?"

We all blinked before getting the message and started getting out after her.

After we all were outside, Utau nodded to the driver and he nodded back, before the long, sleek car drove away.

Then Utau started strutting towards the door to the concert hall.

Already embarrassed from the last two times she had needed to call for us to do something, I quickly followed her. Soon the others got the same idea, and we were following Utau in a straight line, like a duckling after their mother.

At the entrance, the man at the podium went around the glass object and bowed before Utau.

"Hoshina Utau. What an honor," the man said.

Utau showed him her ticket and he took it gladly. "It's a pleasure to see you at our concert Hoshina-san. Your seat is row in row "D" number twenty-four," he said, giving her back her ticket, which he had ripped at the appropriate place.

Utau gave a hint of a smile as he opened the door for her and she entered the large, neat, clean, and bright hall that led to the

I pulled out my ticket and heard the rustling of paper behind me. The man took my ticket and ripped it. "And might you be Hoshina-san's friend? No matter, your seat is in row "D" number twenty-five."

I smiled and thanked him as he handed me back my ticket.

I took a deep breath after the door closed behind me and I had entered the nice, toasty lobby. I walked over to where Utau stood and smiled at her. Of course, acting as her usual higher-than-you character, she turned her head with a small "hmph".

It took about three minutes before everyone was let inside to the lobby, which was furnished with pleasant cream-colored furniture. A painting hung from the walls, which were also cream-colored, every once in a while. There were a couple armchairs and a divan with a few beige throw pillows and a glass coffee table.

Our small troop made it's way to the auditorium and took our seats.

After we all took our seats, Utau looked jealously, and slightly poutily, at me.

"What's wrong?" I asked her.

"Well you're in the very middle of the whole row and get the best view of the orchestra," she replied.

"Oh!" I exclaimed. I hadn't even thought about it. "Really?"

"Yeah. There are fifty-one seats altogether and you have the twenty-fifth seat," She explained.

I blinked twice before I figured it out. This was Ikuto's work, I was sure of it. Damn it! And yet, it was sweet of him; he wanted me to see it all, have the best viewpoint.

Anyway, this was the seating arrangement for the evening: I was in the middle, Utau sat to my left, Kukai sat to Utau's left, and Yaya sat to Kukai's left on my left side. To my right, Rima sat next to me on my right, Nagihiko sat to Rima's right, and Tadase sat to Nagihiko's right. I supposed it was fairly evident that Tadase was very displeased that he was at the very edge of our group **(A.N: And as far away from Amu as possible XD)**.

Barely a minute after Utau had finished telling me about my special seat, the lights dimmed and everyone in the auditorium stopped their talking and whispering. The conductor walked onto the stage and bowed before the audience, as we applauded along with the other people in other seats, while the speakers announced, "And here is the orchestra's conductor, Fukushima Ryohei...". The announcer proceeded to tell us about different honors he had received and other orchestras he had conducted for before this orchestra. Next came out the orchestra. "Now it's time for the Tokyo String Orchestra to enter."

I watched as string instrument after string instrument entered the huge stage. The announcer kept announcing the instrument sections, such as "Entering now is the bass section, followed closely by the cello section." But the other instrument sections weren't all that important. I was waiting for a specific instrument.

My eyes were peeled as I watched for the violins to come on stage. I was especially attentive when the announcer proclaimed that the second violins were seating themselves. I scoured the oncoming violinists, searching for the familiar blue hair and eyes that would indicate that it was him.

But I didn't find him amongst the second violinists. The hope and eagerness I hadn't even noticed deflated as the last of the musicians in the section took their seats.

I soon found out that I had extinguished my hope too soon, for the speakers pronounced, "And now, the first violins are coming on stage." My back straightened and I was sure my eyes glistened with hope, because now Ikuto would come on stage. I could feel it in my bones.

I kept scanning the people filing on stage and was disappointed as I didn't see him again. Had he gotten sick and couldn't make it? I preoccupied myself with my sulking and completely disregarded the last few musicians. This concert was just a waste of time now. Sure, the music was sure to be beautiful, but it would be a bunch of strangers playing it, so it would have little meaning.

I listened as the announcer said her last words before the conductor would start the performance. "Before we begin, let me introduce to you the new addition to this group, who is also the orchestra's new concert master, Tsukiyomi Ikuto!"

Again, my eyes widened and I looked at the man who had just stood up on stage. Sapphire eyes and navy blue hair in a black suit, his precious violin tucked under his arm. He bowed to the crowd before turning toward the orchestra.

I saw him turn his head to the conductor, who gave a slight nod, before he started playing an open string. Following his lead, the rest of the orchestra played the appropriate string. I saw as the musicians turned pegs and knobs on their instruments, gazing at the procession in wonder. The same event occurred for the rest of the strings, except for the cellos and violas, where Ikuto turned one viola's peg and had that viola play for the other two groups of instruments.

"They're tuning," Utau explained. "Instruments need to be tuned every time before being played."

"It seems so... magical," I replied, eyes still wide and glued to the stage, each syllable of the last word rolling off my lips like the water of a waterfall.

The tuning ended and the announcer introduced what piece the orchestra would play and who composed it.

And the true magic began as soon as the musicians brought their bows to their strings. Each note that was played rung with passion and emotion. The first song, one that sounded very tragic made my heart hurt and I felt the pain put into the music. The second was a very complex song with many parts: sad, happy, angry, pained. The third piece had a tender, loving, and caring tone to it.

"The concert master, Tsukiyomi Ikuto, will play a piece solo, before the orchestra rejoins him for the rest of the performance," the female voice announced.

The curtains, which had closed, evidently to allow the orchestra to exit the stage, swept away from their post of blocking the stage and almost as soon as the curtains had opened, a bright circle of light was aimed at the teen concert master. Ikuto already held his instrument fast in between his jaw and his shoulder, eyes closed, getting ready to play. His fingertips pressed the correct places before his right arm, holding his bow at his side, came up to place the bow just above the strings, so it was hovering just above the awaiting strings.

His bow made contact and in no more than a few moments, I was swept back to that night before Christmas, where he had played those same notes; the magical moment where I felt how everything in the world faded away as he played the pained and passionate song that only I had listened to that one, dark night. The spotlight was the moon as it had been behind him that one evening, and the surrounding darkness made everything look the same as it had. His closed eyes, even the angle at which I watched him, everything reminded me of it. He was playing the first notes I had ever heard him play.

And as the song was coming upon the place where he had abruptly stopped, his eyes flew open, and it seemed that they pinpointed mine, looking into them with the same sorrowful pain and tender passion that he applied to the music being made. I was surprised by the emotion behind his gaze, and surprised again when the tears began forming in the corners of my vision. The tears rolled down my cheeks silently. I had endured all of the painful reminiscing that I could and I sprinted for the nearest door, an arm covering my face from other audience members so they couldn't see my tear-streaked face while I listened as the piece ended in the same, abrupt way.

As soon as I reached the door, I flung it open and leapt across the threshold. I ran a bit deeper into the corridor I had entered, until I swung around and stopped behind a wall. After I was finished panting, I took a look around the place a had escaped to. Everything, ceiling to floor, was made out of a rough, gray, gravelly material, all except for a metal railing not too far from me.

I was soon reminded of my reason for being here, as I heard the crowd applauding to Ikuto, who was most likely bowing.

I turned around, so I faced the wall I had been leaning on the moment before, and placed my hand on the rough substance of the wall, fingers spread out.

Damn him! Why did he always make me feel this way!

My spread out fingers came together to form fists pressed against the stone.

He had some kind of special power over me! He always made my heart hurt because I would remember that he had left, that he wasn't here! And now, he _was _here, and he toyed with my heart like it was a ball of yarn!

"Damn it!" My right fist parted with the wall and then slammed back into it, "Damn it!" I repeated my movement, "_Damn_ it!" I lifted both my fists and was about to slam them into the rough surface when...

"Easy there, Amu. I didn't think you'd react like that to my performance out there," He said, his large hands making handcuffs around my wrists.

"You haven't fallen for me already, have you?" he whispered into my ear.

I sighed. "Ikuto..." I breathed. My fists relaxed out of their tight position and my back turned from tense to resigned.

"Yep," he replied, and I could the smirk in his voice.

"It wasn't a question..." I muttered.

It startled me when he slid his huge hands around my hands, which were open by now. His fingers wrapped around my hands, and held them there gently. I smiled to myself and wrapped my fingers around as much of his hands that I could, the tears rolling down my cheeks again.

He was here! I could feel the warmth of his hands around mine, the tickle of his breath on my hair, his eyes staring at me. This wasn't some cruel dream. I was so happy!

I turned around, swiveling my hands, so I could look at him. His eyes were looking at me the same way they had while he had been onstage. I looked at him, the tears still streaming down my face, but they were happy tears. Our eyes connected and my heart throbbed from happiness and another warm feeling that seemed familiar but I couldn't quite place it.

I jerked my arms downward, slipping my hands out of his grasp, before I launched myself forward, securing my arms around him. I buried my face in the fabric of his shirt, breathing in deeply. He stumbled backward from the impact, but soon regained his footing and I felt the welcome warmth of his arms holding me. I felt his smile on my hair as he pulled me closer. I nuzzled his chest, the warm feeling overflowing in my heart.

But soon, I got over the initial happy relief and my mood turned to a bitter anger.

I pulled away from the tender embrace, my hands fists once more.

"Idiot! _Idiot! __**Idiot!**_" I shouted, and with each shout of the word I beat my fists against his chest, so forcefully, that when I opened my eyes Ikuto was up against the wall. I continued, head bowed and eyes closed. "Did you ever think about how I felt when you left? I felt so _alone_! I know you want to find your father, but..."

I looked up, into his eyes. My eyes and cheeks were drenched in tears again. "Couldn't you have taken me with you? Why...? Why did you have to just abandon me here?" I whispered.

The look in his eyes was repentant as he averted his eyes, looking off into space.

"No... I couldn't have taken you with me. There are people who need you here. And besides," He ran a hand through his blue hair, "you still need to finish school. I didn't want to hurt you again... I never _dreamed_ you'd misunderstand like this."

I wiped at my eyes, my brows knitting together. "What do you mean?"

He sighed and his eyes met mine. "You think I abandoned you to travel the world, never to return, right?"

"Well, I'm not sure about _never_..." I mumbled.

"But that the essential gist of it," he countered, staring at the air again.

"Yeah... I guess..." I replied.

"Well, it's true that I left suddenly to search for my father..." his face turned to meet mine. "but I had every intention of returning to Japan."

"You really mean it?" I whispered, and I couldn't help the hope that entered my voice and my heart.

"Maybe not for long, but yeah, I sure did. And I still do. I'm gonna find my father and then come back here for you!" He smiled. "Maybe by then you'll grow up..."

"Yeah, maybe..." I breathed, a new happiness bubbling in my chest, before his last comment sunk in. "_Hey!_"

He chuckled. "Sorry, you're just so fun to tease."

But then, Ikuto's face became sincere and serious.

"If you'll agree when that time comes, I'll bring you along with me. We'll travel the world! I'd be able to play with my father and we'd make tons of people happy with our music!" He was looking away from me once more, fantasizing, looking giddy as a schoolboy.

I giggled. He turned to look at me, confused.

"Sorry, you just looked so cute like that. Just like a little boy," My mood suddenly changed as I became more serious. "And I accept. I'll travel with you as soon as I get out of high school. I'll change a lot and look really different, but I know I'll accept, even after all that time. I'll be waiting, so don't you dare forget!"

His eyes widened, shocked at my honest answer. I gave him a sincere, assuring smile.

"Amu..." Ikuto whispered. His eyes were tender and gentle, and the smile that spread on his face was a smile of true happiness.

He leaned forward and his arms encircled me again, soft and gentle. I gladly returned his embrace.

He leaned his head in closer, until his lips were at my ear.

"I won't be here for a long time, so let me tell you this. Amu... I love you. I love you now and I always will. I love you with all my heart," Ikuto whispered to me, and I knew every word came from his heart. "I love you more than anything else and I want to be by your side. Forever."

As he said those words, it made me finally understand that feeling, the warm feeling I couldn't quite place. It was love, my love. My love for Ikuto. I had denied it too long. I _loved_ Ikuto.

And knowing that he loved me, too, made me the happy, happier than I'd ever been in my whole life.

I pulled Ikuto closer, taking a deep breath of his scent. I pressed my cheek against his warm chest, a smile on my face, with my eyes closed. "Ikuto... you have no idea how happy those words make me feel. It's hard to hide true feelings."

We stood there like that, in a tight embrace for a while. I nuzzled his chest happily as he kissed my hair. We broke apart all too soon and I was already looking forward to the next time we'd see each other.

I wiped away the leftover tears and looked at Ikuto's shirt, where there was a medium-sized wet patch. "Sorry I soaked your shirt."

"Don't worry about it; no one will notice, anyway. I'm just glad that everything's been worked out," He said, still smiling.

I laughed briefly. "Yeah, me too."

I took his hand in mine and hugged his arm.

"'Kay, let's go; I have a concert to get back to." he said, chuckling as we made our way back the way we came.

**Author's note: Phew! It's finished! And with a grand total of 20 and a half pages! I must say I'm happy with the results, too! Also, I'm thinking about writing a sequel and/or writing this in Ikuto's POV. Tell me if you would like me to do that! Well, thank you for reading and if you'd like to leave a review, that would be very much appreciated! ^^ **


End file.
